Things Not Meant for You

Last year I had a reading resolution of over 30 books. This year, my resolution is a whopping 15 books. I love reading (hello, I started a book blog), so why did I cut my goal in half?

Well, it turns out that I'm a really picky reader...and by really picky, I mean it's more likely you'll find me in a library than a bookstore because it's easier to return the books I don't want to finish. It's more likely for a book to get an Erika rating of 2 stars than 4. It's more likely I'll prefer the movie than the book. (That last one probably made a lot of you cringe.)

I used to think there was something wrong with me. After all, how could I not love the book that was recommended by Oprah, 5-starred on Goodreads, and listed as a New York Times bestseller?

Buddha had the answer for me:
"In the end only three things matter: how much you love, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."

I've applied this to multiple aspects of my life, including my reading habits.

According to Forbes, there are between "600,000 and 1,000,000 books published every year in the US alone." That's a lot of books.

With so many options on the bookshelf, why would I want to force my way through a book I don't enjoy? Not every book was meant for me. Apparently a lot of books weren't meant for me, and that's okay. Every person has different experiences in life. Books touch those experiences on various levels so what might ring as life changing text for one person might be a throw away read for another. And that's okay.

Rather than trying to force myself to read 2-3 books a month, I'm going to give myself the time to let go of the books not meant for me. By lowering my reading goal, I don't have to finish every book I start. I can take the time to start books that intrigue me and finish books that continued to intrigue me, hopefully turning 2017 into my best read yet.

Winter

Winter

As the final book in the Lunar Chronicles, I wanted to love this book. Cinder was such a great and engaging opener to the series, but this end book just didn't meet my expectations.

I think what made Winter a miss for me were the 50 million subplots throughout the book, most of which involved a romance of some sort. Every book in the Lunar Chronicles, builds off of the prior book adding a new subplot and a new set characters.

Cinder- Cinder & Prince Kai
Scarlet- Cinder & Prince Kai, Scarlet & Wolf
Cress- Cinder & Prince Kai, Scarlet & Wolf, Cress & Thorne
Winter- Cinder & Prince Kai, Scarlet & Wolf, Cress & Thorne, Winter & Jacin

That's a lot of subplot! It made the story a little jerky to me because every other chapter followed a different group of characters. 

I'm glad that I read it though, because the basis behind the series is so clever. I loved being able to see traditional fairy tales get such a unique twist.

Title: Winter

Author: Marissa Meyer

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends 

Published: November 10, 2015

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble

My Reading Resolution: 2017 Edition

Guess what...when you move out of state, get engaged, and get married overseas in a 4 month time span, you don't read as much as you had planned at the beginning of the year when you were single and stationary. This year had so many wonderful and unexpected life changes!

So, I'm excited to start the new year with a more realistic goal of reading one book a month. If you go through my "To Read: 2017" you can see the January-December themes.

Twelve books in twelve months. That's a resolution that will keep (and hopefully surpass). 

Feel free to join in or make a list for yourself!

The Story of Ferdinand

The Story of Ferdinand

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I grew up performing in musicals and plays and dance recitals, so I will always be a theatre girl at heart. Halloween gives me a reason to dress up...full-out costume.

My dog and boyfriend hate it because I make them dress up too...full-out costume.

This year our family costume was inspired by the children's book The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf.

I first heard about this book when watching The Blind Side, and I had to get a copy for myself.

A bull who loves flowers.
He's sent to a bullfight.
All he wants to do is smell flowers.
The End

The Story of Ferdinand is a simple story with black and white illustrations. There are no special effects, no superheroes, and no crazy villains. A classic story is timeless whether it was written 5 years ago or 50 years ago. It's nice to know that such a story has lasted the test of time. A good children's book doesn't trend, it stays consistently read by each generation.

Title: The Story of Ferdinand

Author: Munro Leaf

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap 

Published: March 31, 2011 (First published January 1, 1936)

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble

Señorita and her Matador

Olé!
(Reason #5 to never get rid of your old prom dresses.)

With our little bulls

Ferdinand the bull-dog

The Night Circus

The Night Circus

What a magical cover for a magical book! Seriously, I know they say don't judge a book by its cover, but how could you not pick up this book?

The Night Circus is beautifully written with an air of old world mystery. The two main characters, Celia and Marco, are used as pawns in a game to see which magician is stronger. Their chess board is a traveling circus where every night they must create a new object or tent full of magic that's meant to astound and mystify.

Yes, there is a love story between the Celia and Marco, but it was their magic that kept me drawn to the book. Every night I wanted to see what the new tent would hold. And every night I was not disappointed. The Night Circus creates a world that I so badly want to be a part of. I would do anything to be able to visit Le Cirque des Rêves. The setting of the book is a huge win for me because it is so unique. Circuses are generally thought of as playful with bright colors, but this one takes it to the next level as something powerful filled only with the colors of black and white. A sophisticated circus with a hint of danger...isn't it delicious?

This book is full of mystery...A circus that only opens at night. A cast all dressed in black and white. Two magicians locked in a deadly game. These are the ingredients for a memorable book, but add in beautiful writing, and you have a 5-star book!

Don't forget, all 5-star books are available for giveaway. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to enter!

Title: The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morgenstern

Publisher: Anchor Books

Published: July 3, 2012

Available: Amazon, Book Depository, and Barnes and Noble

a Rafflecopter giveaway
RULES OF GIVEAWAY:

1. Must be 18 years or older to enter (or have parental consent as I'll need your address)

2. Must live in a country where the Book Depository ships to (Do they ship to my country?)

3. Must love books

If It Sits, I Licks

Everyone needs to 1) take a look at this adorable puppy 2) take a look at the author name listed next to this adorable puppy. 

There are a lot of perks to working for a small publishing house, one of them being when they are looking for an author to write a quote book on dogs, I get to call dibs. I'm a dog person to my very core, so when Familius published If It Fits, I Sits last year, I bit my tongue and said things like "It's such a cute book." In my mind though I was thinking, "A dog book would sell better, because cats are the devil." I've only had bad experience with cats and I have the scars to prove it. 

Well, here we are a year later and If It Sits, I Licks is in the works. All the quotes for the book have been gathered, and I've written chapter intros that are now with my editor for revisions. All that's left are designing the quotes and choosing pictures to correspond with each quote. 

To give you a better idea of what we are creating, here are a few sample spreads from If It Fits, I Sits (which by the way was written by our managing editor...see what I mean about small publishing house perks?)

We are looking for high-resolution photos of dogs with personality. Whether it be loving, naughty, tail-wagging, or droopy eyed, we'd love to include a wide variety in our book. 

Here's where you can be a part of this book. Familius is looking for dog Instagram accounts that would like to be considered for inclusion in this book. If your dog has an Instagram account, comment on this post with the account name (i.e. @darciedog) and we'll take a look. 

All photos that are included in our final book will be credited, so while your dog may be the star, your name will be printed in the book's index. 

These books will be distributed nationally, and represented at international rights shows for foreign publication consideration. This will definitely bump up your Instagram game!

If you have any questions, you can include them in the comments section or email me at my work address erika@familius.com.

Giveaway!

So I (like the rest of the world) read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. It's a book all about cleaning out the clutter, and getting rid of objects you never knew were unnecessary. 

Kondo's method for decluttering and tidying up revolves around the question, "Does this bring me joy?" Every item you own should make you happy! This includes all those books that are jammed into your bookshelf, scattered across your desk, and hidden under your bed. 

While tackling my bookcase I realized that I own a lot of books that I never got around to reading, books that I won't read again, or books that I no longer need. As I sorted through my little library, holding each title in my hands, I asked myself, "Does this book bring me joy?" If the answer was no the book was put in the donate pile. 

I chose a few titles from that pile that I think others will like, titles that might bring someone else joy. Take a look at what I'm giving away:

• Creativity Ink
• The Nanny Diaries
• The Interestings
• Handmade Weddings
• Alice in Wonderland
• The Kite Runner
• The Dogist

If you see a title you want here's what you have to do to win it:

1. Find my instagram page @bookfaire
2. Go to the post that has this giveaway image
3. Comment with the title you want to win (only one comment per person)
4. If you are the first to comment, the book is yours!

U.S. residents only for this giveaway. I'm paying for shipping and want to keep this cost efficient (don't worry, there will be other international giveaways). 

Good luck, and Happy Reading!